Hoisting cable attachment



Jaun,a 30, 1945. J.`A. sPlsAK HoIsTING CABLE ATrAcHuENT Filed Feb. l,1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l ZZ FIB- 1 'ff FIE- 5- fak a ff if if i@ if /ff ff/f la U l- W INVENTOR.'

JoH/v, /SQK,

Jan. 30, 1945. J. A. sPlsAK 2,368,171

HOISTING CABLE ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. l, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:JOHN ,4 5054K,

H l5 TTORNEY.

Jan. 3, 1945,

J. A. sPlsAK HOISTING CABLE ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 1, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet5 INVENTOR.'

JOHN y0. 5

Patented Jan. 30, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE norsrmc. CABLEATTACHMENT Joan A. spint, am Pittsburgh, r. Application February 1,1944, serial N0. 520,360 s claims. w1. 242-111) The present inventionrelates to improvements in means for attaching hoisting cables towinding drums, and aims to provide confining means effective to preventthe cable end from being thrown outwardly by centrifugal force uponrotation of the drum.

While not limited thereto, the present invention is peculiarly wellsuited for anchoring haulage cables to the drums used to propel the skipcars used in charging modern blast furnaces.

The invention will be fully apparent from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description and claims when read in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevation of a blast furnace showing a skip car forcharging the same, the car being connected by cables to a hoisting drumembodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the drum shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line III-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar section on line IV-IV of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail on line V-V of Figure 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, reference numeral I0 represents aconventional form of blast furnace having the usual charging bells I2and i4 and charging hopper I6. An inclined track I8 is traversed by skipcars 20 and 22. These cars are so connected with their haulage cablesand with the hoisting drum indicated generally at 24 that when the skipcar 20 ascends the inclined track i8, the companion car 22 descends.These cars are arranged to automatically dump the material into thecharginghopper I6 at the top of the furnace. Occasionally the length ofthe cable must be adjusted due to stretch or other causes. The presentinvention provides an extremely simple yet effective means i'or takingup slack in the cable to compensate for stretch. ln conventional blastfurnace skip car operation it important that any adjustments made in thecable lengths be made with great haste so as to avoid as much aspossible the delay to furnace operation. According to prior` artpractice, adjustments are made hurriedly and require the services of sixworkmen: two workmen for blocking the skip cars, two workmen outside thedrum to force the cables through holes in the interior of the drum, andtwo workment of small stature to crawl into the drums through the smallspaces between the drum spokes to clamp the ropes within each drum.After clamping the ropes near the entering holes, the cables are draggedthrough the spokes to the outside end of .the drum, where the excesscable is burned off. For reasons of safety, burning equipment is notpermitted to be used within the drums. The cable ends are then returnedto the interior and intertwined about the drum spokes and clampedthereto in a manner to prevent the ends from fraying and whipping about.It is important that the loose ends be prevented from fraying, since thetendency of centrifugal force is to cause the cables to whip about. Suchloose ends have been known to present a tangled, hairy mass of loosewires which constitute a seriousv danger to workmen in the vicinity ofthe drum.

My invention provides means for simplifyingv the operation of anchoringthe cable to the drum, and also provides for confining the loose ends ofthe cable so as to preventit, from fraying and whipping about. As bestshown in Figures 2 to 5 inclusive, my invention contemplates a somewhatstandard form of drum, including complementary sections 26 and 28separated by a spacer section 30, the spacer having annular flanges 32vand 34 seated in grooves 36 and 38 of the drum sections 28 and 28. Onepair of cables 40'is wrapped around one drum section 26, and a similarpair of cables 42 is wrapped around the other drum section 28. Thecables 40 are coiled on the drum in a direction opposite the coiling ofthe cables 42. Thus as the drum rotates one pair of cables v will bewound upon the drum and thus cause the skip car 20 to ascend, while theother pair will unwind and cause the skip car 22 to descend. The meansfor securing all of the cables 40 and 42 to the drum are substantiallyidentical; thus a description of the means for securing one end of acable to the drum will be deemed suiicient, it being necessary, for thepurpose of this disclosure, to note only that the individual cables oneach drum may be anchored at their ends to the drum in any desiredspaced relationship by suitably spacing the apertures 44 which areformed in the annular rim of the drum.

The free end of each haulage cable is passed through an appropriateaperture 44 and thence in a direction substantially parallel to the axisof rotation of the drum, through an opening 46 formed in an end web 48constituting part of the drum section. The openings 46 are aligned withsimilar openings 50 formed in-ilanges 32 and 34 of the spacer member 30.Suitable. anchorage clamps 52 are secured by bolts `54 to the free endsof each of the cables. The clamps 52 provide means for makingadjustments to compensate for slack in the cable. When the cablestretches, it is necessary merely to insert a pry bar between the clamp52 and the anges 32 or Il, so as to forcibly take up the slack. 'I'heclamps are then reset new DOSUOD, and the free end ofthe cable isinserted in a tubular member I6 welded or otherwise secured to anarcuate bar 5l which is secured by bolts Il to one of the flanges of thespacer member n. The tubular member 56 conlines the free end of thecable beyond the clamp and prevents it from whipping around and frayingout under the iniluence of centrifugal force as the drum rotates.

It will be apparent that with the arrangement described, there is acertain amount of surplus cable beyond the clamps 52. 'I'his permits o!making minor adjustments when such are necessary or desirable. Inpractice, the cable ends are inserted through the openings M in theusual manner, the two workmen located inside the drums guiding the cableends through the openings 46 and 50 to the inner end of the drumsections adjacent the web portions 48, whereupon the clamps 52 arereadily attached. The cable ends, after being burned oil.' to properlength, areinserted in the tubular members 56. Thereupon further workwithin the drum is unnecessary.

After cable adjustments and the securing of the clamps have beeneffected, eight segmental shields 62 and 62* are secured in place, thesebeing suitably perforated to fit over bolts $4 extended radially fromblocks 66 which are welded or otherwise secured to the flanges 32 and uof the spacer member 3l. The bolts 64 are spaced at suitable intervals,and certain of them, as indicated at 6l. instead of being fastened toblocks 66, are carried by the same members Il which support the tubularconfining members 50. The shields 62 and 62* serve as additional meansfor preventing the free ends of the cable from being thrown outwardly,as a safety precaution, in the event that the tubular members I6 becomeinadvertently loosened. The shields 02 are adapted to be readily removedwithout any undue delay, in order to exposed any one of the severalcable clamps 52. The shields will generally be numbered so that onlythose cables which require adjustment will be exposed. When theparticular shield has been removed, it will be readily understood thatadjustment of slack in the cable can be readily made from the exteriorof the drum. thus making it unnecessary for the workmen to enter thedrum, as heretofore required, to make adjustments.-

While I have described quite precisely the detailed features 0fconstruction and arrangement herein illustrated, it is to be understoodthat various modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be madeby those skilled in the art without departure from the invention 'asdened in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. Hoisting apparatus comprising a pair of drums with a spacer membersecured between them, respective cables coiled in opposite directions oneach drum, the drums being apertured and the cable ends passingtherethrough, respective anchorage clamps secured to end portions ofeach of said cables, respective tubular members secured to said spacermember and conilning the free ends of the cables beyond the anchoragesthereof, and segmental shields surrounding said spacer member and saidtubular members, said shields being removably secured in assembledrelation to said spacer member.

2. Hoisting apparatus comprising a drum having a haulage cable adaptedto be Wound thereon, the annular rim of, the drum being apertured and anend portion oi the cable passing therethrough, said drum having aradially-extending end web apertured to permit passage ofthe cable, aspacer member having a flange secured to said end web and beingapertured to permit the passage of the cable therethrough, an anchorageclamp on the cable engaging said flange, and means secured to saidspacer member at a point remote from said clampfor conlining the freeend of the cable beyond it.

3. Hoisting apparatus comprising a drum having a haulage cable adaptedto be wound thereon, the annular rim of the drum being apertured and anend portion of the cable passing therethrough, said drum rim having aninwardly-extending end web apertured to permit passage of the cable, aspacer member having a ilange secured w said end web and being aperturedto permit the passage of the cable therethrough, an anchorage clamp onthe cable engaging said ilange, and a tubular member secured to saidspacer member and surrounding the free extremity oi said cable beyondsaid anchorage clamp.

JOHN A. SPISAK.

